Overall
- Morgantown
- 93.3
- Burlington
- 93.2
Diff -0.1 RPP
Morgantown vs Burlington
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Burlington is 0.1% less expensive than Morgantown.
0.1% less expensive
Burlington, NC is 0.1% less expensive than Morgantown, WV on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 93.2 vs 93.3). A $100,000 salary in Morgantown buys about the same as $99,864 in Burlington; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 93.3 (Morgantown) vs 93.2 (Burlington)
- $100k in Morgantown ≈ $99,864 purchasing power in Burlington
- Rents drives the gap (+8.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WV:NC 93.3→93.2
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WV × NC
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Morgantown
93.3
Cost Index
Burlington
93.2
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Morgantown, WV and Burlington, NC are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Burlington is 8.8 points higher. But rents and goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Morgantown corresponds to $99,864 in Burlington.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Morgantown
- 96.3
- Burlington
- 96.6
Diff +0.4 RPP
Services
- Morgantown
- 92.5
- Burlington
- 89.2
Diff -3.3 RPP
Rents
- Morgantown
- 69.1
- Burlington
- 77.9
Diff +8.8 RPP
| Category | Morgantown | Burlington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 93.3 | 93.2 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 96.3 | 96.6 | +0.4 |
| Services | 92.5 | 89.2 | -3.3 |
| Rents | 69.1 | 77.9 | +8.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Morgantown 93.3
Burlington 93.2
Goods
Morgantown 96.3
Burlington 96.6
Services
Morgantown 92.5
Burlington 89.2
Rents
Morgantown 69.1
Burlington 77.9
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Morgantown would need to be in Burlington for the same purchasing power:
| In Morgantown | In Burlington | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,932 | $-68 |
| $75,000 | $74,898 | $-102 |
| $100,000 | $99,864 | $-136 |
| $150,000 | $149,796 | $-204 |
$ in Morgantown = in Burlington
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (93.3 → 93.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Burlington more expensive than Morgantown?
Burlington is 0.1% less expensive than Morgantown. The overall cost index is 93.2 vs 93.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Burlington equals $100K in Morgantown?
A $100,000 salary in Morgantown has the same purchasing power as $99,864 in Burlington. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Morgantown and Burlington?
Rents in Morgantown are indexed at 69.1 while Burlington is at 77.9 (national average = 100). Burlington has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.